When transplant surgeon Harlow James hits the open the road after a devastating personal loss and ends up in Taos, New Mexico, she hopes to find out where she went wrong.

Instead, she finds the perfect man.

There's only one problem: he's too young.

But even if master woodworker Dax Drexel is the perfect distraction to her problems, can their fling survive the scrutiny of her profession, her friends and his family? And when all is said and done, can she find the strength to return to the world that betrayed her and pick up the pieces she left behind?

After a crazy year that began with my business partner's divorce followed by scandal for being with a much younger man, I decided to let it all go... that is, have a one-night stand with a younger man.

A year later, here I am with a baby whose father has been AWOL since that night... which is totally fine by me since I told everyone I got pregnant via a sperm donor.

Okay, technically, I lied. But it's a better story to tell everyone instead of the truth. After all, I do have a reputation to uphold.

But when Jordan O'Halloran shows up at my clinic after spending a year building schools overseas, the last thing I want to do is lie (again). Piper is his daughter and he has every right to be part of her life.

We just have to get our story straight in front of my very old-fashioned Filipina mother and Jordan's ex-girlfriend who hasn't quite accepted that he's moved on.

A broken Marine.
His best friend's devastated widow.
Both determined to keep their promises no matter the cost... even love.

When Marine veteran Sawyer Villier remembers a promise he made to a friend while they were both deployed a lifetime ago, he’ll do anything to fulfill it now, especially after his buddy becomes a casualty of postwar PTSD.

But Sawyer's not the only one determined to keep his promises.

Drew's widow has one of her own and she'll do everything she can to keep her late husband's memory safe no matter what the cost... even love.

When I wake up in my brother's best friend's bed the morning after he rescues me from the worst blind date I've ever had, two things are suddenly so clear:1) No way am I ever letting my BFF set me up with anyone ever again and 2) my brother's best friend is the hottest thing on two legs I've ever seen...

Oh, and why don't I want to be "just friends" anymore?

Wait, that makes three things.

But is a fling worth sacrificing a lifetime of trust between our families? Or is it worth a shot at something that had always been there all along?

What happens when you end up with your own trending hashtag? For Roxy Porter, you try to salvage what's left of your nursing career by agreeing to billionaire Kodi Donovan's suggestion that they pretend to be engaged... just until the trend dies down.

But pretending to be something you're not, it turns out, isn't as easy as it looks... especially when feelings between them become real.

Three years after her ex-boyfriend left her to pursue his Hollywood dream, barista Riley Eames is still haunted by questions only he can answer. So when he asks to meet her after a full day of press junkets, she reluctantly agrees – only to get stuck in the hotel elevator with rising British actor Ashe Hunter who's in town to promote his next movie.

He's gorgeous, polite, and before the night is over, smitten with the woman who has no idea who he is.

But even as sparks fly between them, it’s going to take more than a celebrity romance to get Riley’s life moving again for the ex-boyfriend is back in town and with him, the answers to the questions that will change Riley’s life forever.

To his fans, Ashe Hunter is the perfect man, the classically trained British actor taking Hollywood and Broadway by storm.

To his American girlfriend, Riley Eames, he is a man in love who'll do anything to keep her safe from the prying eyes of paparazzi suddenly digging into her life.

But to someone from his past, Ashe is her ticket to Hollywood fame, and she'll do anything to get it even if it means tearing down the perfect image he built for himself long after he left her.

What happens when last year's one-night stand turns out to be your hometown's hottest doctor?

Apparently, not everything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas... and for thirty-something ad exec Ava Turner, that's exactly what happens when her one-night stand turns out to be Auburn Springs' newest-and hottest-doctor.

And when things heat up between them again, Ava must decide whether her big city dreams are more important than a chance at finding love in the small town she thought she left behind.

But when you've spent the last seven years going after the biggest promotion of your career (and that coveted corner office!), falling in love with the right man just might be easier said than done.

When my father issues his ultimatum to settle down or get cut off from the family fortune, the last thing I expect is to hear him mention my assistant’s name.

Did he really mean Giana, my plain Jane assistant who just happens to be a whiz with blueprints and LEED documentation? The same Giana who’s always made me look good while expertly disappearing in the background?

So I give my dad exactly what he wants: I get engaged to the only woman he’s ever approved of.
Sure, it’s fake, and with everyone getting what they want from the arrangement whether it’s getting my dad’s very rare seal of approval to a hotel expansion that’ll exceed every green building rating in the world, what’s the worst thing that could happen?

Someone is setting up my twin sister to fall for a crime I know she didn't commit. And the only man who can help me save her is the last man I can trust.

Ruthless billionaire Heath Kheiron thinks I’m his brother’s glamorous girlfriend. A gold digger he’s determined to track down and punish.

Only I’m not Blythe... I’m her twin sister, Billie, visiting from our small hometown of Nevada City, California.

But to get Blythe out of harm’s way, I’ll have to step into my sister’s shoes.

I have to work with Heath, pretend to be his girlfriend for a day. Maybe more. And maybe then, my sister and I can get out with our lives.

But only if I don't lose my heart first.

Completing a demanding Physical Therapy program isn’t just a degree for Taos-native Claudia Romero; it’s her declaration to the world that she’s more than her past, more than the girl whose impulsive lie years earlier almost sent her first love to jail.
But when she runs into the man she once had a passionate one-night stand with years earlier, there’s no denying the attraction they felt that night is still there, stronger than ever.

For Navy SEAL Trevor Hawthorne, it’s been a year and a half since a deadly ambush changed his life forever, the adrenaline rush that was the only life he knew now replaced with the need to constantly prove that he's as good as, if not better than the man he was before.

As Claudia grapples with her past and Trevor with his new reality, they face a critical question: Can they embrace the changes within themselves and take a second chance on love? Or will the shadows of their pasts darken their path forward?

Is there room for second chances when one is unable to let go of the past?

After her workroom is set on fire and there’s a clear threat to her safety, fashion CEO Autumn Alonso takes her lawyer’s advice to lie low at her family home for the first time in years.

The last thing she expects to find is Griffin West, the man she left behind ten years earlier when she decided her dream was more important than his love. Seeing him again is a reminder that there’s more to life than distracting herself with professional success while holding onto her bitter past like armor.

Yet even as Autumn starts letting go of her painful past, Griffin isn’t sure how someone like her could settle for a wounded veteran like him. And when trouble follows Autumn home, can he prove to her that he’s the same man he used to be?

If you like angsty second chance, wounded warriors romances, you’ll love this steamy angst read.

After learning that her ex-fiancé and her ex-BFF will be spending the holidays next door to her parents' home, the last thing florist Mariah Peters wants is for him to see that she’s still single two years after they called off their wedding. So she comes up with the perfect lie... that she’s engaged.

Too bad her pretend-fiancé is grounded on the other side of the country and can't make it in time.

Enter mechanic and friend Logan Garrison who volunteers to be the replacement. After all, he doesn't have any plans for the holidays and a road trip up North just might be the break he needs. Besides, what are friends for?

But that’s before a practice kiss changes everything, revealing more than they ever wanted to admit to each other...

After abruptly calling off her wedding to her Silicon Valley business partner, tech executive Summer Avila stumbles upon a long-forgotten reservation for a rustic cabin nestled in the snowy mountains and decides to take it, even if it means she'll be alone on Christmas Eve.

But her plans take an unexpected turn when she crosses paths with rugged mountain guide and lodge manager Forrest Peters who invites her to join him and his family for Christmas Eve dinner. His world of family values and nature is just the distraction she needs, a stark contrast to the tech-driven world Summer is used to yet no longer makes her happy.

For Forrest, Summer's arrival stirs up emotions he's long buried, forcing him to confront his fears of opening up his heart, even if it's to someone who doesn't belong in his world.

But just when Summer’s ready to explore the possibilities of life at the lodge, a threat to her position in her company forces her to focus on protecting her life’s work and legacy.

Will she return to her planned, predictable life in the boardroom or will she dare to embrace the uncertainties of new love in the backwoods? And can Forrest let go of his guarded past to take a chance on a future with someone so different, yet so right?

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Romancing Orange County is a multigenre romance fundraising project by the Orange County Romance Writers (OCRW) for which Liz contributed a short story, Timeless.

First Loves, Second Chances, and Compelling Courtships

Celebrate one family's enduring passion for love, land, and legacy with Romancing Orange County: An El Ocaso Anthology.

Gifted to the Galteros in 1842, Rancho El Ocaso-with its rugged canyons and arroyos descending to the Pacific Ocean-becomes the pride and passion of a family that binds its loyalties to the land and each other. First rancheros, then vintners and orchardists, then entrepreneurs and hoteliers, each new generation remains deeply committed to family and the land they cherish.


Journey through two centuries of passion, family, and legacy in Southern California with this captivating anthology. From the rugged canyons to the Pacific shores, the Galtero family's saga unfolds across generations, weaving tales of love, perseverance, and the enduring connection to their ancestral land.

Seven talented authors bring to life the romance and drama of the Galtero dynasty:

Her Healing Touch by Linda Carroll-Bradd

Casta and Joaquin, childhood friends now grown, find themselves drawn to each other in a new and irresistible way. A visit to the Galtero Rancho reveals an unexpected attraction that neither can deny.

Love Under the Orange Blossoms by May Leonardo

Forced into a betrothal with a man she barely knows, a determined woman is offered an unusual deal by her betrothed: stay married for thirty days and then choose her own path. Can she resist his charm and reclaim her freedom?

On the Wings of Love by Christopher Lentz

A chance invitation to soar in a hot-air balloon opens a widow’s heart to new possibilities and a second chance at love, as she discovers that touching the sky might also mean touching her soul.

Watch Over Me by Selene Grace Silver

In a world of business and control, an art-loving woman challenges a meticulous man to embrace life’s thrills. Their journey together promises excitement, passion, and the possibility of a love that defies convention.

Lost in Lavender by Kristy Tate

In the later years of life, widowed nurse Jesse and reserved gardener Clive discover that love can blossom anew, healing old wounds and proving that it’s never too late to find happiness.

Lucky in Love by Domino Savoie

After a chance encounter with her long-time nemesis, Camille finds herself sharing a rustic cabin with Hawke. As old tensions spark new passions, they must confront their tumultuous past to discover a love that endures.

Timeless by Liz Durano

He was my first love—the foreman’s son I almost eloped with before life’s circumstances separated us. Twenty-five years later, Hiro Sato returns with a piece of our past, and with him a choice that could redefine my future at El Ocaso.

Romancing Orange County celebrates the unbreakable bonds of family, the power of love to transcend time, and the enduring spirit of a land that has witnessed it all. Lose yourself in these enchanting stories of romance, legacy, and the beautiful landscapes of Southern California. To learn more about OCRW, visit ocromancewriters.org